With many businesses “slimming” down, the challenge, and opportunity, is to remain productive, with a smaller team, for less money.
However, time does not adjust and races past us daily. As a business owner or marketing executive, you still need to develop marketing strategies three months in advance, plus content topics plus graphics, oh, and run the business.
So, immediately we give you our tip #1, which is “Don’t Panic”, especially about inspiration.
Use these additional tips to avoid being stressed:
Tip #2: Stockpile
No, not canned goods. Stockpile your ideas with a digital voice recorder. Your reaction to this might be, “but how? I am battling to come up with a single idea right now!”
Begin with a passive approach immediately, and don’t wait for the deadline to loom above you. That is contra-creativity. Record ideas whenever one pops up. Interesting article? Brilliant campaign strategy? Record it.
It will be your future inspiration and declutter your mind while driving, jogging or drinking.
Set a weekly appointment with yourself to transfer the ideas into your editorial calendar.
Tip #3: Mind Mapping
Being stressed jumbles your thoughts. Step back and make a mind map. Break the workload into bite-sized chunks. This helps clarify the goals without muddling which task you are working on. You can move forward, unmuddled, with multiple targets.
Tip #4: Dictate
With your strategy and goals in place, it’s time to work on the content. Book time for taking a walk, using a treadmill, walking the dog or grooming the kitty. Get your digital voice recorder out and start dictating your content. Speaking engages different areas of your brain, unveiling new levels of creativity. Use a voice-to-text transcription program – time saved and a happy pet.
Tip #5: The 3 R’s
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – not your coffee cup, your content. When under pressure, take a look at the existing content and reuse it. Use Google Analytics, for example, to see which content is scoring the best view/conversion/traffic rates. Improve the unicorns and even consider an e-book, or white paper, of the top-scoring blogs.
Edit, rearrange, and improve, and create new content from old!
Tip #6. Other Brains
Collaboration or call-a-friend is a great option for inspiration. Bounce your ideas off your friends and colleagues. Outsiders’ thoughts and questions will drive you closer to what you want and let you know if you are interesting.
With a little bit of deep breathing, planning and a digital voice recorder, you can be creative and productive and stay ahead of deadlines.
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